Playing Catchup

I didn't mean to disappear again; it just kinda happened. I finished tatting a magic square for my mom. I also worked on some crochet for my mom as well. For the last few months, I have been working on a knitted cardigan for me. I'm working on the second sleeve, so it shouldn't take me too much longer to finish. Then I can get back to tatting for a while- I haven't tatted for a few months! Oh, and I updated my last post to include the author's name of the Korean tatting book. I received a comment on that post from someone who knew the author's name. Thanks Mary!

I made another Magic Square Triangles Variation by Robin Perfetti. This one was made for my mom.

This was tatted using Flora thread in colour #s 64 and 213, size 20. Man, do I miss Flora thread! It is such a nice thread to use. I don't know why Handy Hands replaced it with Lizbeth. One of the threads is variegated, the one I used for the chains. I'm not sure I totally like how it worked out, but I think my mom liked it which is what counts.

I also made a crocheted jewelry bowl for mom. I think it turned out quite well.

It is crocheted over a 1/4 inch thick rope using four strands of sock weight yarn. I used three strands of sport weight yarn, Omega Sinfonia, and it still worked out. The pattern is by goolgool and you can find her Etsy shop here. I really enjoyed making it and will have to get the proper yarn to make another one, or two. The pattern is written a little weird but it was still pretty easy to follow.

As I said, I am currently working on a knitted cardigan for my self. I have to finish the second sleeve, which I hope to do either today or tomorrow. Then I have to sew the sleeves on, and knit the collar and front bands. A zipper sewed under the front bands should complete it. I'll post a photo when it's done. That's about it for now. Till next time.

The Monsterpiece Doily, Round 12 & Some Crochet

Man, this round is taking forever. I feel like I should be done tatting it, but I'm only about half way around. I have, however, taken a few breaks from tatting, so that is probably a big part of why I'm not done with this round. I went on a camping trip last weekend with my dad, his girlfriend and my brother so I didn't get any tatting done then. The doily isn't exactly a portable item anymore, and I didn't want to risk it getting damaged, dirty or smokey smelling. I took the socks I've been slowly working on and some crochet projects. I ended up working on the crochet projects. As it happens, I continued working on crochet projects for most of this past week. I also discovered a new crochet technique which I'll hopefully get to.

Not really much to say about the Monsterpiece Doily.

As you can see, I am almost halfway around the doily. As I said, it's taking forever to complete. On the plus side, I have the pattern memorized for the most part so I don't have to constantly look at my written notes now. Since I'm waiting for a book arrive, I hope to continue working on the doily. Thread stats: Manuela no. 20 colour #a055.

On the crochet front, I managed to finish or almost finish several projects. The first is a cycling cap. It looked kinda cool, but I don't know if I will actually wear it though.

This isn't quite finished. I need to stop at a fabric store to get some interfacing to stiffen the brim. If/when I get to that point, I'll share a photo of it being worn. I used some Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash yarn in Camel Heather. The pattern is on Ravelry/loveknitting.com by Emma of Steel and Stitch.

The next item are crocheted Beer Cozies.

I don't know if it was me or what, but pattern didn't quite work for me. The cozy on the left is made as the pattern is written, using two strands of worsted weight cotton yarn and a 4 mm hook. It is way too big. I may wrong, but I don't think the size of beer/pop cans differs significantly between the US and Canada. The can I used is 355 ml which is equal to 12 ounces, which I think is a standard can size. The cozy on the right is made following the pattern with an extra row using one strand of cotton yarn and a 3.5 mm hook. It fits the cans perfectly, though it is not as thick as the other one. I'll probably have another go at this pattern later, as I do like it and it would make great guy friendly gifts. I used Bernat Cot'n Corn yarn for the cozy on the left and Bernat Handicrafter yarn for the blue one. The pattern is by Pan and can be found on Crafty here.

The last crochet item is more of a sneak peek of more to come.

Yes, they are coasters, but its how they are made that is special. They were made using the technique of "Hard Crochet". That is, using specific yarns and a very specific hook size (2.75 mm) to create a crocheted fabric that is stiff and can hold its shape without the used of stiffeners. The coaster on the left isn't quite right, as my gauge was out, and the coaster isn't as stiff as it should be. The one on the right is in the right gauge range. Both coasters were made using Red Heart Super Saver yarn. The technique comes from the book Hard Crochet by Mark Dittrick. You can see the book on Amazon here. I came across the book accidentally-I think Amazon actually suggested it to me. I'll go into more detail another time, but if you are curious and want to learn more, Sandy Marie of Mom's Crochet has been working on modernizing the technique. You can find her hard crochet tutorial here. She has several patterns available using the technique, including the coasters above, and you will see another one of her designs once I get the yarn. I also have many ideas for this technique too and will of course try some of the patterns from the book when it arrives. Stay tuned.

That's it for now. I'll try and post a few photos from my camping trip in my next post. I got a pretty bad sunburn which I'm still nursing. Till next time.

Tatting Hiatus 2016: What I Have Been Up To, Part 2 Crochet

As promised, here is part two of my post about what I have been up to while not working on the Monsterpiece Doily. This is about the crocheted projects I have been working on. For the record, these were done a few weeks ago when I started my short break from tatting. I've been working on knitting projects this week, and will hopefully continue to do so until the end of the weekend.

The first couple of crocheted projects are, of course slippers. I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but I go through a lot of slippers as I don't really care for socks, and I'm not a fan of bare foot.

I'm trying to move out of my colour comfort zone with these. The top pair, the ones I'm currently wearing, are made using Lion Brand Fun Fur in the "Tropical" colourway. I don't need to say that I used Lion Brand "Red" Fun Fur for the second pair. Both used Patons Classic Wool in red. If you're new to my blog, these slippers are made using two strands of wool yarn and one strand of fur or eyelash yarn together. The finished slippers are felted or fulled in the washing machine to shrink them and make them all warm and comfy. I love making these!

These next two projects are part of my Mom's Mother's Day present. I will be giving them to her this weekend. Mother's Day was last Sunday here in North America.

The first project is a crocheted cactus and succulent garden. It utilized patterns from June Gilbank from her shop PlanetJune.  She has two collections of four different cacti each and two more collections of four succulents each. If you buy all four, you can mix and match between 16 plants. She also a large and small pot pattern in each collection to make your own customized garden. This was pretty easy to follow and lots of fun to make. I won't link to the collections directly in case the links stop working but they are in the Flowers and Plants part of the crochet pattern section. The link to June's shop is above.

The second project is a crocheted Primrose, another one of June's patterns. For some reason the colours are not quite right in the photos. The primrose flowers are a dusty rose. This was also pretty easy to crochet. If you haven't seen June's patterns before, she make mostly amigurumi style animals and plants/flowers. I love her designs and have purchased a number of them. Most are stuck in my to be crocheted list for one reason or another. Most, I think, need eyes purchased in order to make them and I just haven't done it yet. Hopefully I will get them crocheted.

That's about it for now. Since I posted twice in less than a week, I probably won't post again for a week or two. Unless something important happens or I get a lot done. Anyway, till next time.

Still Knitting

Yeah, I'm still knitting. And I'm still enjoying it. I still find it weird considering how much I haven't liked knitting in the past. I'm guessing the new needles are the main reason. They're just so smooth to knit with. Better yarn makes a difference too. I returned the two balls of yarn I mentioned previously and got a couple better knids; one of which I using right now and lovin' the result. I share a photo in a moment.

I finished the pair of socks I was knitting last time I posted. Considering that I didn't care for the yarn (Wool To Wash by Loops and Threads), I think they turned out pretty well.

As you can see in the first photo, I am using a two-at-a-time method to knit this pair. I love this method of knitting socks! The socks are the exact same size, and binding off one sock, then the other one immediately after is so satisfying. No Single Sock Syndrome for me! These are for my mom for Christmas.

I started another pair of socks shortly after finishing the purple pair. These ones going to be for me. As I said above, these were made using some of the new yarn I bought after returning the terrible Wool to Wash yarn. I think they're going to look great when they are done.

They look way better in person. I'm quite a bit further along than the photo shows. I'm about an inch or so away from doing the heel. I love this toe up sock method. I definitely am getting faster at knitting. The yarn I'm using is Isaac Mizrahi CRAFT University yarn. It's a washable wool, acrylic, and nylon blend yarn. It knits pretty well, as long as you don't catch the coloured nylon (I think) ribbon that runs through it. It's made by Premier Yarns and I think it's a Michaels exclusive yarn. I may be wrong on that though. Anyway, I was hoping to have them finished by Christmas so I can wear them when I visit my family Friday, but I don't know if that will happen. I got distracted by a crocheted hat pattern that I just had to make for myself and that's what I spent most of the afternoon working on. I have all the parts crocheted, I just have to put it together. I won't get it done today as I need to pick up a couple of large buttons tomorrow after work.

That's about it for now. I have to work until Thursday, but I'm trying not to let that ruin my mood. I'm sure the store I work at will be insanely busy by Wednesday and/or Thursday. Till next time.

Crochet Football Coaster: 2015 Crafty Football Blog Hop

It's that time of year again. Time for the Crafty Blog Hop! Instead of something tatted, I decided to make something crocheted this year. It might allow more people to actually follow along. For anyone not familiar with a blog hop, each participant creates a tutorial that they share on their blog. At the bottom of this post (and the posts of each participant) are links to the other participants. Make sure you check out their tutorials as well. There will be a new participant each day, so be sure to check this post often (ie: daily!) to see a new tutorial until the end of next week.

Probably because footballs are pretty easy to make in many different crafts, I made a football again.

I'm not really a fan of patterns turned into tutorials, but here we go anyway.

Crocheted Football Coaster ©2015 Jeff Hamilton

Materials

You will need:

Worsted weight yarn in two colour (team colours would be great but brown and white work well)
Size H / 5.0 mm crochet hook
Stitch marker, safety pin, or even a scrap of contrasting coloured yarn
Scissors, yarn needle
Felt to back coaster (optional-I didn't do it but you are welcome to if you want)

I used Bernat Super Saver yarn in Tea Leaf and Bernat Cot'n Corn in Oatmeal for the green/white coaster for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The brown/white coaster used Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in brown (I lost the label) and Bernat Cot'n Corn in Oatmeal. I used yarn from my stash since I didn't want to buy anymore. I should have used a brighter coloured green for my Rider coaster.

The finished coaster is about 6 inches by 4 inches. Gauge isn't really important for this project. If anyone is curious, the brown coaster above is a little different (and larger) than then the one I'm going to share below. I tweaked the pattern as I went during the photo shoot. If you find any errors, please let me know. It works for me, but I've memorized the pattern and any possible errors.

OK. Let's begin.

Abbreviations (US):

Sc     =  Single Crochet
Hdc  =  Half Double Crochet
Dc    =  Double Crochet
Sl st  = Slip stitch
Trc   = Treble (Triple) Crochet
Ch(s)    = Chain(s)
St(s) = Stitch(es)
**    = Marks sections of stitches that are repeated

Starting with round 2, you'll want to mark the first stitch so you know where to join. Also, the ch 1 at the start does not count as a stitch.

Round 1: Using your main colour, start with a magic ring. Ch 1, make 6 sc in ring and close ring. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (6 sc)

You can learn the magic ring technique from here: www.planetjune.com/magicring . This isn't essential to the pattern, I just find it looks better. Feel free to substitute Ch 2, 6 sc in 2nd chain from hook if desired. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1.

Round 2: 2 sc in each st around.  Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (12 sc)

Round 3:  *2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next st*. Rep between ** around. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (18 sc)

Round 4: *2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 2 sts*. Rep between ** around. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (24 sc)

Round 5: *2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 3 sts*. Rep between ** around. Join with st st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (30 sc)

Round 6: 2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 4 sts. 2 sc in next st. 1 hdc in next st. 1 dc in     next 3 sts. 2 trc in next st. 1 dc in next 3 sts. 1 hdc in next st. 2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 4 sts. 2 sc in next st. 1 hdc in next st. 1 dc in next 3 sts. 2 trc in next st. 1 dc in next 3 sts. 1 hdc in next st. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Ch 1. (36 st).

Round 7: 2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 5 sts. 2 sc in next st. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. 1 dc in next 3 st. 1 dc, 1 trc, 1 dc in next st. 1 dc in next 3 sts. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. 2 sc in next st. 1 sc in next 5 sts. 2 sc in next st. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. 1 dc in next 3 st. 1 dc, 1 trc, 1 dc in next st. 1 dc in next 3 sts. 1 hdc in next 2 sts. Join with sl st to top of first sc. Fasten off. (44 st)

Football Stripes (Make 2)

With your second (contrasting) colour ch 10. Sc in second ch from hook and in next 3 chs. 2 sc in next ch. 1 sc in the remaining 4 chs. Fasten off leaving a long tail.

Assembly

You should have your crocheted football coaster and two stripes finished.  Awesome! Feel free to hide the yarn ends on the coaster either now or after you have added the stripes. Position one stripe onto one end, doesn't matter which side you start; I started with the left stripe. Position the stripe across round 6, so the pointed part of round 7 is mostly visible. It doesn't have to be exact; the stripe should fit across the football almost perfectly, so just play around and see where you like it. You'll want to leave space in the middle of the coaster for glasses, mugs, cans, etc.

Using one or both yarn ends, sew the stripe as best you can onto the coaster. It doesn't have to be perfect, just make sure it is attached securely.  Repeat for the other stripe. Hide the yarn ends after you are done to make it less frustrating for the next step.

Embroidering The Stitches

This is pretty basic embroidery, if you can even call it that! The positioning is up to you. I had them across the centre on the brown coaster and higher up on the green one. The stitches are fairly flat so they shouldn't cause any issues with glasses, etc, placed on top of them. Attach a length of white (or contrasting colour) yarn at approximately round 4 and take a long straight stitch across the coaster to the opposite side and take the yarn down at approximately round 4. Anchor the yarn and come up though the same stitch as you went down. Hopefully that makes sense.

Take another long straight stitch roughly across the same stitch as before and go down in the same spot you started at. Anchor the yarn underneath and come up again. Take a third straight stitch again across the two previous stitches as before. You should end up with a three yarn wide straight stitch.

With the yarn still underneath the coaster, come up about one quarter of the way and slightly above the long stitch from before. Go across the long stitch and come down a little below the long stitch. Repeat twice more making the stitches approximately equally spaced apart. Hopefully that all made sense. Hide the final end, or all of them if you haven't already. Now would be the time to back the coaster with felt, if you desire.

There, you should have a football coaster of your very own! Enjoy! Much like the last Crafty Football Blog Hop I participated in, which you can find here: click here, I made a green football coaster for my local CFL team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Who, um, aren't doing so well right now. Come on guys!

Here is what everyone else has done for the 2015 Crafty Blog Hop. Check back everyday until the end of next week as a new participant will appear each day.

Crocheted Torchon Lace, and Some Tatting

Where does the time go? I can't believe it's almost July. I keep meaning to post but never seemed to find the time. Fortunately I have been working on a some projects, surprisingly mainly tatting. As the title indicates, one of these projects is crocheted. I've even been working on some chainmaille.

I came across a pattern for a crocheted Torchon Lace edging in the May/June 2015 issue of Piecework Magazine, The Lace Issue, and had to try it. Torchon Lace is often made using bobbin lace techniques but can be made using other techniques, including crochet.

The pattern called for size 80 thread and a size 13 hook. There was no way I was going to try to crochet using size 80 thread. I'm sure it would look more like traditional Torchon Lace if I used that fine of thread. I used some size 20 Omega thread in colour #252. It measures about 2 inches wide. I would like to try the pattern again using a size 40 or 50 thread. Perhaps one day I'll try it in size 80 thread, but who knows if that will happen.

I finished the Japanese Doily at least a month ago. I worked on it quite regularly since my last post. It need some significant blocking, which I haven't done yet. I figured I'll share it anyway.

I haven't measured it and even if I did right now it probably won't be accurate. Technically there is supposed to be another round of interwoven chains and clovers, but since I found them painfully slow to tat, I don't want to tat that round. I actually like it this way. To me it looks finished, but I would love to know what other people think. Does it look finished or does it look like it's missing a round? The thread is Lizbeth 20, colour #602 Natural. I should point out that I almost ran out of thread by the end of the round. I have about a bobbins worth left. I bought another ball of this thread colour but they look significantly different. I'm not sure if it's because of a large dye lot difference or that the thread colour isn't #602 Natural. I lost the label from the ball.

Finally I'm going to give you guys a quick peek at what I'm currently working on, tatting wise.

This particular motif is part of the pattern I'm working on. I'll have to make 18 of them in total. Some (six) will be joined together, the rest used elsewhere in the patterns. And while it doesn't look it here, the colour is a pale baby blue.

That's about it for now. Since I doubt I'll post again for a few weeks, I'd like to wish my fellow Canadians a happy Canada Day tomorrow. And a happy Independence Day for my US followers. Till next time.

Has It Really Been That Long?

I didn't really plan to be away from blogging this long. I don't really know what happened. I guess I lost interest in the motif I was working on, like, almost instantly after my last post. As least it seems like it. I hadn't done much tatting since my last post. Actually I haven't done much of anything craft/art related since my last post. I partially blame in on the fact that I have to make nearly every I eat in order to keep my sodium intake down. In case anyone is wondering, my blood pressure seems to be under control. I had a few medication changes and one dosage change since this all started. I don't need to see the doctor till November, which is nice. The weekly visits really didn't help; it was always high when I went. He said I might be able to go off the medication one day. I did have to repeat one of the test I did in the hospital because of an "anomaly" but the doctor there doesn't think it will be an issue, so we'll see what happens there. Anyway, I did get inspired to finish the final motif I was working and getting it joined this past weekend. I haven't taken a picture yet, but I will soon. I do a have a few things I did this weekend as well.

I'm sure many of you have seen Jane's posts about bauble tatting and the book about them by the Shuttle Brothers (see here: http://www.gr-8shuttles.com/tatting_gr8_baubles.shtml). They looked so complicated that I convinced myself I probably couldn't tat them and didn't need the book. Of course Jane launched an Exclusive Club for people who make them and that made more people make them and more of the items from the book. I wanted the book then. When I saw that Bestitched added the book to their shop, I ordered it right away. While I'm waiting for the book to arrive (and all the other stuff I "needed" too), I figured I should practice. Here's my first attempt:

Apart from the beginning, I didn't do too bad. It took a few rounds for me to figure out how the bauble worked. It's basically a continuous spiral that is held in place by guy wires-they're thread but they do the same thing. Each round lays literally on of the previous round, and what is the outside of the bauble is the top of the row. Once I discovered this, they're pretty easy to do. I'm going to practice them for awhile and I might start experimenting with them on my own. I don't think there are many patterns using them yet. Feel free to post the comments if you know of any that aren't in the book. Oh, and I'm now an Associate Member of the Exclusive Tatting Club. I'll be a full member once I send in a bauble mouse from the book. Besides available directly from the Shuttle Brothers, many of the popular tatting stores online have the book as well.

Before I go, I wanted to share the new pair of slippers I crocheted Saturday. I know I've shown other slippers I made before but the particular fuzzy yarn I used gave them a kinda cool effect.

I'm pretty sure the fur is longer on this brand of yarn (Loops & Threads Fabulous Fur) and it spreads out a bit when my feet are on the floor. It kinda looks like I have wolf paws. Which is fitting because the colour is called "Wolf". Sorry, I thought is was cool and I've never seen any of the other slippers I've made do this.

That's it for now. I'm going to really try to post again more frequently. Hopefully the tatting bugs bite lasts for awhile with the bauble tatting inspiration. I'll share the updated photo of the Windmills doily once I get photo of it. Till next time.

Tatted Gecko #1, and Crocheted Tie Update

Well, I'm only a few weeks late on posting. I came down with a summer cold a few weeks ago, during which time I didn't really feel like doing much. I think I'm over it now, and I've been working on a few projects this past week. I have been tatting, which I'll share in a minute or two. I almost finished the crocheted tie. I have also been working on some chainmaille, remaking sold items and I even learned a new weave and made a bracelet using it. I'll share the new weave with you later. If the weather cooperates, I hope to get some decent photos for the shop.

I shared a preview of what I was tatting in my last post. I finished the motif in question a few days later. Here is the finished motif:

This is Karen Bickerton's Gecko, available from her shop here. I really enjoyed tatting him. I like Karen's design style of her patterns. I'm sure those of you who have seen Ginny's blog recently have seen Karen Frilled Dragons. I can't wait for the pattern to be made available in Karen's shop. I am currently tatting another Gecko using the same thread. I am planning on sewing several Geckos, at least three, on to a dark green t-shirt. Two are going to me made with size 20 thread, the third in size 40-if I can manage it. I seem to be out of practice using finer thread. I tat too tightly and constantly snapped the thread the last time I used size 40 thread. Thread stats: Lizbeth size 20, colour #167 Jungle Greens.

Here is a quick update on the crocheted tie:

As you can see, the basic tie has been crocheted. And it can even be tied like a real tie. Just to clarify the type of cord I used, the company I purchased the cord from calls it "Bugtail". The label on the spool calls it 1mm Rattail. I have a few ends to deal with (easy since it's crochet) then it's technically done. While tying the tie, it did find it did stretch a fair bit. I think it needs a round of crochet on the outer edge to reduce the stretch. I'm thinking that I'll use a heavy cotton thread instead of nylon, for the outer round. Once that's done, I'll have to block and possible iron it. I'll share once it's done.

That's about it for now. I'm going to focus on tatting Gecko's for the rest of the week. Since it's a short work week with Labour day on Monday, I do hope to get a fair bit done on my days off. Regrettably, some housecleaning will have to be done too. The horrors! Till next time.

Some Tatting, and The Beginnings of The Crocheted Tie

I have to admit. I really don't feel like posting. I guess I've got some work stuff on my mind, again. Hopefully I'll get them resolved soon. I don't want to bore anyone with them; though I spent a good chunk of last night lying awake, thinking. Anyway, I have been up to some tatting. A few sales in the shop meant some chainmaille was made too. And an impromptu idea yesterday meant I spent the better part of an hour crocheting. So, let's keep moving!

A few week back, I saw the cool looking interconected rings that a number of tatters were working on. I had to try them too. I saw the video for tatting them with a single shuttle. After many, many failed attempts, I think I got it:

You wanna know how I managed it? This next photo should help:

It may be cheating a bit, but I got it! First time. I tried it twice and got it both times. I see many interesting patterns using this technique. Though I think I will put it on the back burner for a bit. I would like to try and get the shuttle version down pat. I am using one of these motifs as the centre of an idea I have, and I don't like the combination of shuttle and needle tatting. The differences are too great for me. Though I'm not good at needle tatting, so that is probably a factor. I may have to buy some more tatting needles; I only have one. I know I will get better results if I match the needle with the thread diameter.

I am currently working on another motif right now. Here's a sneak peek:

A hint could be found in Ginny's recent post. That's all I'm saying right now. I have an idea for this too.

I bought some thread online a week or so ago, as I thought it might work for tatting. I tried one of the two that I bought. Here is a sample of "Bugtail" thread:

Bugtail is a thinner version of "Rat Tail" thread if that helps. Both are a nylon Satin cord. The bright shiny thing is a quarter for size comparison. The thread is incredibly shiny and smooth and feel really nice to the touch. As you can see, it does tat fairly well. The smoothness works to it's advantage. The main issue is size. The cord is about 1 mm in diameter. You would need some pretty big shuttles or needles to use. Coincidentally, it crochets really well:

This is the result of about 45 minutes of crocheting. I had a few restarts but I got the sizing about right. The above section is about 8 inches long. I am going to finish this, I just ran out of cord. It's much easier to make than my tatted tie. I'm not sure why I'm into making ties lately. Perhaps it's a sign that I need to find a new job and move on. Whatever it is, I could write up the pattern when it's done if anyone wants it. Compared to the tatted version, it shouldn't take long. I'm not sure if it will be a "real" tie or if I'll have to fake it like I'll do with the tatted one.

That's about it for now. We'll see what happens with posting. This is a nice distraction, but I have to get stuff done in order to share it. The tatting I'm working on should busy for a few days, depending on how things go at work. Till next time.